Colorado State University Athletics
Friday, September 17
Denver, CO
4:30 PM
Colorado State
vs
Roadrunners Open
Rams Produce Two Top-Three Finishes
9/18/2021 7:48:00 AM | Cross Country
Women second, men third at Roadrunners in Denver
DENVER, Colo. – The second meet of the season for Colorado State was on a beautiful Friday in Washington Park, and the teams were set up for success. The women's cross country team finished strong in its 6,000-meter race, taking second, while the men followed with third in an 8K.
This was the second competition of the season for the Rams, and the effort pleased assistant coach Andrew Epperson.
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"The race went out really well, the men competed hard against top Division II teams in the area, and I was really proud of how our women competed," he said. "They were going swing for swing with things, so it was a very successful day."
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Megan Mooney ran unattached for CSU due to not having cross country eligibility, topping a talented field. She got out of the gates fast and was able to pull away from the field, winning in a time of 21:21.9, well ahead of second-place Zoe Baker from Colorado School of Mines at 21:31.3.
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 "It was fun to walk away with a champion today," Epperson said.
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The women's side proved to be tough competition. Colorado School of Mines is ranked second in Division II and was the biggest team the girls were going against; they won with a score of 27. Colorado State's women came in with 40. For the men, Colorado Christian and Mines brought very deep teams with a lot of great athletes, both pulling ahead of CSU in the standings.
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"Both teams were running really smart and moved up throughout the race," Epperson said. "We caught a lot of people in the last half mile; it's what we like to see."
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Freshman Kylie Poole was the Rams' top official finisher for the women, coming in at 22:02.8, followed by junior Maggie Smith. This was Smith's first competition of the season and her first in two years, and Epperson felt she had one of the stronger finishes in the field, making her a very welcome addition in her return to the lineup.
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Cal Banta was the Rams' top male finisher, coming in 14th in 25:34.4.
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Moving forward, Epperson said both squads need to continue to bring the same type of effort if they want to remain as a top competitor this season.
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"The people running today ran fierce; I love the energy and the intensity our team has," he said. "We have so much support. Student-athletes drove down, and local parents showed up. We just have to keep this energy rolling."
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TEAM RESULTS
Women's 6K
1. Colorado Mines, 27
2. CSU, 40
3. Colorado Christian, 76
4. MSU Denver, 104
5. Fort Hays St., 143
6. UC Colo. Springs, 159
7. Wyoming, 186
8. Regis, 242
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Men's 8K
1. Colorado Mines, 28
2. Colorado Christian, 43
3. CSU, 75
4. Fort Hays St., 106
5. MSU Denver, 116
6. Regis, 180
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INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Women's 6K
1. Megan Mooney, 21:21.9
4. Kylie Poole, 22:02.8
6. Maggie Smith, 22:20.5
14. Bailee Carr, 22:49.2
15. Carly Wall, 22:50.1
17. Devon Peterson, 22:55.2
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Men's 8K
14. Calvin Banta, 25:34.4
16. Preston Norris, 25:42.1
21. Dawson LaRance, 25.55.8
24. Ryan Birkmeier, 26.02.8
27. Jared Putney, 26:12.4
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NEXT
The Rams will be back on the course at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, hosted by University of Oregon, on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 5:30 p.m. MT in Springfield, Ore.
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For More on Colorado State Track & Field and Cross Country follow: Twitter – CSUTrackFieldXC | Instagram – csutrackfieldXC | Facebook – Colorado State Track & Field/Cross Country
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This was the second competition of the season for the Rams, and the effort pleased assistant coach Andrew Epperson.
Â
"The race went out really well, the men competed hard against top Division II teams in the area, and I was really proud of how our women competed," he said. "They were going swing for swing with things, so it was a very successful day."
Â
Megan Mooney ran unattached for CSU due to not having cross country eligibility, topping a talented field. She got out of the gates fast and was able to pull away from the field, winning in a time of 21:21.9, well ahead of second-place Zoe Baker from Colorado School of Mines at 21:31.3.
Â
 "It was fun to walk away with a champion today," Epperson said.
Â
The women's side proved to be tough competition. Colorado School of Mines is ranked second in Division II and was the biggest team the girls were going against; they won with a score of 27. Colorado State's women came in with 40. For the men, Colorado Christian and Mines brought very deep teams with a lot of great athletes, both pulling ahead of CSU in the standings.
Â
"Both teams were running really smart and moved up throughout the race," Epperson said. "We caught a lot of people in the last half mile; it's what we like to see."
Â
Freshman Kylie Poole was the Rams' top official finisher for the women, coming in at 22:02.8, followed by junior Maggie Smith. This was Smith's first competition of the season and her first in two years, and Epperson felt she had one of the stronger finishes in the field, making her a very welcome addition in her return to the lineup.
Â
Cal Banta was the Rams' top male finisher, coming in 14th in 25:34.4.
Â
Moving forward, Epperson said both squads need to continue to bring the same type of effort if they want to remain as a top competitor this season.
Â
"The people running today ran fierce; I love the energy and the intensity our team has," he said. "We have so much support. Student-athletes drove down, and local parents showed up. We just have to keep this energy rolling."
Â
TEAM RESULTS
Women's 6K
1. Colorado Mines, 27
2. CSU, 40
3. Colorado Christian, 76
4. MSU Denver, 104
5. Fort Hays St., 143
6. UC Colo. Springs, 159
7. Wyoming, 186
8. Regis, 242
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Men's 8K
1. Colorado Mines, 28
2. Colorado Christian, 43
3. CSU, 75
4. Fort Hays St., 106
5. MSU Denver, 116
6. Regis, 180
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INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Women's 6K
1. Megan Mooney, 21:21.9
4. Kylie Poole, 22:02.8
6. Maggie Smith, 22:20.5
14. Bailee Carr, 22:49.2
15. Carly Wall, 22:50.1
17. Devon Peterson, 22:55.2
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Men's 8K
14. Calvin Banta, 25:34.4
16. Preston Norris, 25:42.1
21. Dawson LaRance, 25.55.8
24. Ryan Birkmeier, 26.02.8
27. Jared Putney, 26:12.4
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NEXT
The Rams will be back on the course at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, hosted by University of Oregon, on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 5:30 p.m. MT in Springfield, Ore.
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For More on Colorado State Track & Field and Cross Country follow: Twitter – CSUTrackFieldXC | Instagram – csutrackfieldXC | Facebook – Colorado State Track & Field/Cross Country
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Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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